Maddow: New voter ID laws ensure only the famous have the right to vote

“What exactly does ‘legally entitled to vote’ mean in Pennsylvania now, anyway?” Rachel Maddow wondered on her show Tuesday night.

For one thing, she said, it can mean being well-known enough to gain authorities’ sympathy when dealing with the state’s restrictive voter identification laws, as in the case of CNBC’s Jim Cramer, who won the support of Rep. Bob Brady (D-PA) after complaining on Twitter that his father, a 90-year-old veteran without a driver’s license, would not be able to vote.

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Brady ensured Cramer that his father would get the right ID and be provided transportation so he could vote — even if it’s not clear how Brady could make that happen.

Cramer also said on Twitter that the state department of transporation had promised to help his father, who had “waited and waited” during two prior trips to a Department of Motor Vehicles office without getting the proper identification, not unlike thousands of other regular Pennsylvanians.

Maddow highlighted an ABC News report detailing the tedious process involved in getting the photo ID, which prompted one resident who, like Cramer, was helping an elderly parent through it to say, “It was hell all told.”

Maddow noted that the lead plantiff in a recent case against the law, Vivian Applewhite, was given an ID allowing her to vote, despite lacking the proper documentation, after she became a public figure. A state official later told a reporter that residents should attempt to persuade clerks to let them vote with whatever form of ID they can bring.

Maddow’s look at Cramer and the Voter ID controversy, aired Tuesday on MSNBC, can be seen below.

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About the Author

Arturo R. García is the managing editor at Racialicious.com. He is based in San Diego, California and has written for both print and broadcast media, including contributions to GlobalComment.com, The Root and Comment Is Free. Follow him on Twitter at @ABoyNamedArt